🎯 14.4 What Is Formal Logic?

14.1 What Is an Argument?

14.1 What Is an Argument?

In its most basic form, an argument is simply a statement composed of two stated parts, the evidence and conclusion, and one or more unstated but implied parts, the assumption(s) or implication(s). Arguments as they appear on the MCAT have nothing to do with heated debates. Instead, they are simply conclusions the author makes (regardless of whether they are actually true or false), accompanied by the evidence the author uses to back up his or her conclusion. There are three levels of arguments that we call the domains of discourse: the basic difference between the three is very simply things vs. words vs. ideas. Though the domains can never be entirely separated from one another, each has distinctive parts and relationships that must not be confused.

Domains of Discourse

• The natural domain corresponds to objects, events, and experiences—everything that can be found in the world around us.

• The textual domain corresponds to words, sentences, and paragraphs—everything that directly faces you in an MCAT passage.

• The conceptual domain corresponds to concepts, claims, and arguments—everything that underlies logic.

14.4 What Is Formal Logic?

The most abstract application of logic, formal logic, examines patterns of reasoning to determine which ones necessarily result in valid conclusions. Formal logic consists of a conditional statement (e.g., if I am in Pennsylvania) and a necessary result (e.g., then I am in the United States). As you see, the conditional statement is sufficient to necessarily bring about the result. On the MCAT, arguments made using conditional claims, with conditional relationships, are featured in some form in every passage and play some role in most CARS questions.